Marathon Contest Brings Rare Feats For Cubs, Rockies
(CBS) Around the time Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon made a tremendous diving catch in the bottom of the 10th inning last night to rob Cubs catcher Welington Castillo of a game-winning hit, you got the inkling this one might take a while to decide.
And did it ever. Chicago outlasted Colorado, 4-3, in a 16-inning game at Wrigley Field that last 6 hours, 27 minutes and didn't end until the wee hours of Wednesday morning when Starlin Castro hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to right field.
Here's a few of the records and rare feats the teams set Tuesday night:
-- The 6:27 it took to play was the longest game in franchise history for both teams, time-wise. Chicago's longest game before Tuesday was a 1982 affair with Los Angeles that lasted 6 hours, 10 minutes and went 21 innings.
-- Cubs catcher John Baker earned the win by pitching a scoreless 16th inning. He's believed to be the first Cubs position player to earn a win since Jock Menefee in 1902, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. However, Menefee made 22 pitching appearances that season in an era in which position players and pitchers weren't easily defined, according to the Chicago Tribune.
READ: Baker shines on wild night at Wrigley
-- Baker was the first Cubs position player to pitch in a game since Joe Mather on Aug. 27, 2012, according to MLB.com. Baker's win was the first of any sort for a position player in the majors since Baltimore's Chris Davis did it on May 6, 2012 against the Red Sox, MLB.com wrote.
-- Baker hadn't pitched since the summer of 2000 in the Cape Cod League, he told the Tribune. In his scoreless 16th, Baker retired the lead-off batter on a foul pop-up, walked a batter and then induced an inning-ending double play.
-- Baker also scored the game-winning run in the 16th after he drew a lead-off walk against Colorado starter Tyler Matzek, who came on when the Rockies were out of relievers as well. Baker's bases on balls drew a funny remark from Cubs TV color analyst Jim Deshaies. "He walked the pitcher," Deshaies said with a deadpan.
Check out Baker's highlights below.